Hidden Sentiment: Four Letter Word
by DeborahSulkin
Summary: Story 2/5. Jac hated four-lettered-words, but she somehow manages to use one. The same one Joseph's been waiting for.


**Four Letter Word**

Jac Naylor's eyes slowly opened. A soft groan came from her mouth as she attempted to move but failed as a limp, heavy arm held her down at the waist. She felt his breath on the back of her neck. It seemed like forever that she had lay there, listening to his breathing. After a while longer, Joseph's steady, calm breathing had started becoming heavier, it was clear now that he was just waking up. It was in those short few seconds that Jac Naylor dawdled on the loss she had faced that week. Well, it was hardly a loss, more something that she wanted to be there that was not. Lingering on the horrible memory, Jac felt her sleepy posture go straight to vulnerable and weak.

"Morning." Joseph smiled his adorable smile at her.

"Yeah." Jac brushed off Joseph's gesture of kindness. She wanted to run away and if it was not for Joseph's arm still around her waist she probably would have. But she was stuck there, waiting for the seconds where their eyes caught. Joseph moved his hand from Jac's waist to move some of her hair out of her face and the moment he did, she lept from the bed.

"D... Did I do something wrong?" He perched himself up in the bed.

"Of course you did!" She snapped, although it was not what he _had _done, it was more of what he had not done.

Her sudden snap caused Joseph to sit, stunned, confused about what he had done. In the small time space, Jac had managed to exit into her en-suite bathroom. And a few more seconds passed before the sound of the shower filled the room. A loud grunt escaped Joseph's mouth as he collapsed back in the bed, hands over his face. He stayed still, his mind running through all of the things he had possibly done wrong.

The next thing Joseph Byrne remembered was the loud squeal from the shower taps as Jac switched the shower off. He guessed that he had fallen back to sleep and wished that he could do so again because of his dreamy state. Unfortunately, a crash and a cry of pain had him darting up from the bed. Immediately he banged on the door.

"Jac, Jac, what's wrong?" His worry was met with a loud wince. Rapidly, he attempted to open the door handle, but the lock was on. "Unlock the door, Jac!" He commanded and a second or so later the lock clicked. Cautiously; unaware of Jac's whereabouts , he peeled the door open and saw the familiar ginger woman writhing on the floor in pain. As soon as he saw that Jac was not by the door he threw the door back and raced to her side.

"God, what did you do?" Seeing her pained epression had worried him completely.

"My ankle!" She snappily told him, holding onto it as if it was going to fall off if she was to let go. Joseph's eyes travelled to the ankle that jack was clutching and quickly went about seeing what was wrong with it.

"It seems to be just a sprain." He tentatively touched the swollen, purple ankle.

"It is." Jac agreed finally once the pain had set in and her pain threshold kicked into action.

"Alright then." Joseph threw her arm around his shoulder. "On 3. 1... 2... 3." He helped her stand and assisted her so she could reach the bed easier.

Finally resting Jac into the bed, Joseph threw his clothes on; about to go to the hospital to inform them that Jac would be off for the next week or so and also to her her some pain medication and a bandage to keep her ankle tight. He softly down after buckling his pants and placed a kiss on Jac's forehead. Her teeth clenched slightly to stop a wince escaping her mouth as she moved to kiss him on the lips. As they tenderly pulled apart, Joseph moved some hair off of Jac's forehead checking for any possible other injuries but took his hand away satisfied to find nothing.

"I love you." Their eyes entrapped in eachother's and Joseph could have sworn her eyes were replying 'I love you too.' But the words never came and the firey, loved up eyes that were for Joseph only and only he ever go to see them, turned cold. Back to the eyes that everyone else saw. The raw harseness of her look made him leave faster, anything to get away from the freezing cold eyes.

Jac was unsure why she even closed off like that. Of course she was never great with her feelings but she found herself mentally slapping herself for not being able to say the words back. So she lay there, still where he had left her. Jac pondered for a while, repeating the words over in her head. Maybe it was the initial shock that froze her up. She had always known Joseph's feelings towards her (mostly hatred - but that was in the past) but if there was one thing Jac knew for certain it is that 'hate' meant he still was bothered enough to feel something towards her. Whereas Jac was just cold, no emotions, she never reallly cared, but Jac realised that both four-lettered-words had true feeling behind them and she would rather have had them than nothing. So, she put her sudden codness down to finally hearing him say that word she had longed for him to say for so long. It finally made all of this real, it made it a faerietale.

A timid fist knocked on the wooden office door labled 'Connie Beachamp' and a cold, simple 'come in' was barked at the door. Joseph calmly entered the dimly lit office.

"Hi Connie, sorry to interupt." He apologised.

"Come on, I don't have all day!" She ushered him on.

"It's just that Jac is unable to come into work; she sprained her ankle after a fall out of the shower this monring." He filled her in to keep Connie's questions at bay.

"That's the fourth one down this week!" She moaned and flipped through papers until she found the surgery roster. "Supose I should go tell Ric." She bagan to stand before saying: "I don't suppose you would actually want to come in today." She hinted.

"No can do. I'm on night shifts anyway. 7 - 4 so fit me on te roster then but I need to get back and give Jac some pain meds."

"Fine." She checked the peice of paper, "You're on Mr. Wright's lapendectamy and the Mrs Caulfield's apeeziotemu."

"Alright." Joseph nodded and let Connie change the name on the sheet before leaving the office and looking for Sacha Leavy.

Upon finding him, Joseph filled him in on the situation and Sacha even managed to get a nurse to fetch the advil and a bangage.

When Joseph finally arrived home, he went straight to the kitchen; knowing full well that her meds were to be taken with food. He wad unsure what to cook so he just threw some pasta, water and salt into the pan. Monitoring how high the cooker was on, Joseph grabbed the bag from the hospital off of the side and walked into Jac's bedroom. A small smile grew on his face as he saw she had fallen back to sleep and softly he brushed some hair out of her face, causing Jac to begin to wake up. She moaned as she moved her ankle slightly but smiled seeing Joseph's face.

"Hey." He cautiously stepped around his tone and avoided bringing up the earlier 'situation'.

"Hi." Responded Jac, trying her best to strech with minamum movement to her ankle. A small smile grew on Joseph's face as he could not help but think that if her ankle was not spraind she probably would have run away again.

"Here." He showed her the bag before perching at the tip of their bed near her ankle. "I got you some advil so I am making you some lunch now so you can take them." He explained as he tipped the contents out on the bed and grabbed the bandage. "This is going to hurt." He warned her and tried his best to bandage up her ankle with Jac's incessant writhing.

"Sorry." He apologised a short while after, having finally got the bandage on. Joseph hated seeing Jac in pain and he mentally kicked himself for causing it in the first place.

"It's not your fault, the bandage was nessacary." She informed him in her 'Doctor tone'. "Infact the pain seems to have lessened already." A soft smile was sent to Joseph to reasure hi that she was okay.

"But it if weren't for me, you would have been fine." His eyes avoided her's.

"How?" She asked, in a tone that meant she did not believe him.

"It was my fault you stormed off to the bathroom. I have no idea what it was that I did but I am sorry."

"It's fine, Joseph." She cut in, "It was only a stupid sprained ankle!" Her fingers traced his face, making him smile slightly.

"I best check your lunch." Gently his mouth met hers and a light kiss was exchanged, before Joseph left the room to set up her food.

Caressing her hair he held Jac close to him and smiled as he waited for her to drop to sleep.

"Joseph." A sleepy voice filled the silent hole between the two of them.

"Yeah." He whispered softly into her hair.

"I... I thought that I was pregnant." She admited to him and suddenly felt Joseph pull away. She feared this would happen.

"But Jac, the fall, the baby." He babbled hopelessly. Worry in his voice and eyes. Painfully, Jac tried to face him.

"No, Joe, it's okay. I thought I was but I wasn't. That's why I've been 'off'. Dissapointment I guess." She confessed and looked away from Joseph's sympathetic looks.

"So you wanted to be?" He shakily looked at her.

"I don't know, yes? No? Maybe?" His hand went to her chin and tilted her face up tp meet his eyes.

"It's okay, Jac. When the time is right. I promise." The tenderly kissed and resumed back to their previous position.

"I love you too." She snuggled back into him until (with the help of her medication) she fell asleep and Joseph went to work, smiling widely.


End file.
